The FRED Blog has discussed population changes, including movement in and out of the United States and across US counties. Today, we consider the related question of what influences a worker who works from home to relocate to another state?

The FRED map above shows data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics on the percent change in the size of each state’s labor force in 2024. A careful review of the map shows that all states recorded at least some growth in their labor force. However, there were large differences: from 0.02% growth in Delaware to 2.59% growth in Washington, DC.

FRED doesn’t currently have data on what fraction of the labor force works remotely, but recent research from the St. Louis Fed sheds some light on those patterns.

Alexander Bick, Adam Blandin, Cassandra Marks, Karel Mertens, and Hannah Rubinton studied the reasons that commuters and remote workers relocated. They found that remote workers most frequently moved for reasons related to housing. Thus, the affordability of regional housing markets likely weighed heavily in their decisions and could partly be reflected in faster growth in some states’ labor forces.

Of course, other demographic factors (e.g., fertility, immigration) are at play here. But if you’re a remote worker considering relocating to reduce your housing costs, we recommend reading this FRED Blog post on regional price differences.

How this map was created: Search FRED for “Civilian Labor Force in Ohio” and click the “View Map” option. Click on the “Edit Map” option, and under “Units” select “Percent Change from Year Ago.”

Suggested by Diego Mendez-Carbajo.